There are a variety of infant blankets and coverings for infants present in the art. In the past many designs functioned only to keep an infant warm while sleeping. Today significantly more is known about infant sleeping patterns and sleeping safety. The concern for infant warmth is now shared with the concern for infant comfort and safety. Some infants frequently change positions while sleeping, so it is desirable to make an infant's sleeping environment as free as possible of suffocation hazards while at the same time insuring the infant is kept in a secure sleeping position.
For example, according to the most recent recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an infant should be placed on his or her back on a firm sleeping surface with a tight-fitting sheet and the surface without soft bedding for at least the first year of the child's life. The newest AAP guidelines also condone swaddling the infant, provided the blanket is secure and the infant is able to move his or her hips. These recommendations are intended to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which doctors at the AAP believe may be linked to the strangulation or choking of the infant on soft bedding or sheets within a crib or other sleeping surface.
Previous devices have attempted to solve this problem with varying degrees of success, however none have fully addressed the issues. Examples follow.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,834 by Moynihan discloses a blanket secured to the side of a crib with snap fasteners and a single additional strap for securing the infant to the blanket.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,513 by Hubner discloses a zipper opening blanket of resilient material having a bodice-like upper portion and a bag-like lower portion is secured to a crib mattress by a back portion sewn jointly with a soft absorbant filler and a retainer for a disposable diaper to a stretchable bedlinen sheet and a tension band surrounding the mattress.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,052 by Bilanzich discloses a crib sheet for retaining an infant in a central region of a crib or bed and preventing such an infant from displacing a blanket covering when unattended. The sheet includes a central pleat which extends along the entire sheet length and is sewed or otherwise fixed in a folded configuration at the ends thereof. A sleeper jacket is attached at an opening across the central pleat to form an integral sleeper unit. The extendable pleat between the fixed ends permits safe movement for the infant without binding the sheet or causing other discomfort.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,300 by Buschmann discloses a transilluminated optical fiber is placed adjacent to an infant's respiratory moving parts using an elastic fabric. Use is made of the effect that moving the fiber causes a modulation of the intensity of the transmitted light to monitor the infant's breathing pattern to avoid S(udden) I(nfant) D(eath) S(yndrome).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,729 by Hall discloses a crib safety sack made of thin blanket fabric is provided. The sack is pocket-shaped to cover an end of a crib mattress. The top panel of the sack secures an infant in a back sleeping position on the surface of the crib mattress, which is the sleeping position recommended by experts for the prevention of SIDS. The sack acts as a blanket and also as a safety restraint keeping the infant securely in position through gentle force. The sack may be reversible, in that either a top or bottom panel of the sack may be positioned on top of the mattress. The sack preferably has at least one flap providing easy access.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,168 by Nguyen discloses an infant's sleep blanket/garment for use with medical monitoring devices, which is offered as either a sleep sack or a sleep shirt, depending on the age of the infant, with the sleep sack further presented with no arm holes and having snugging straps for newborns or with arm holes and sleeves for older infants. An openable monitor cable sheath located inside of the sleeper allows for bundling medical monitoring device cables and IV tubes and enclosing them within the sheath to prevent irritation to the infant and reduce the possibility of the infant becoming entangled in the cables and tubes. Additionally, the upper shoulder and sleeve seams are openable to allow for the installation, maintenance and removal of IV tubes without removing the garment from the infant. Thermometers incorporated into the body of the garment and an optional sleep cap aid in monitoring the infant's temperature as he sleeps.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,226 by Landry discloses a crib safety sheet and separable blanket with a sheet portion for selectively removing at least the blanket from the sheet, when the sheet is attached to a sleep surface. The separable blanket defining at least two edges for wrapping the blanket about an infant. The blanket may be removed from the sheet by separating the blanket, or by separating a sheet material portion attached to the blanket, from the sheet covering the sleep surface.
While AAP guidelines suggest sparse sleeping arrangements for infants, parents still want to ensure that their children are in a warm, comfortable environment during sleep. As such, there are competing desires between preventing strangulation, SIDS, and other issues, and with providing a comfortable sleeping environment for the child (improving quality of life for both the child and the parents).
These problems, and others, are addressed by the present invention and discussed in greater detail below.